ORLANDO - A team must be great defensively to seriously contend for an NBA title, or even just to make a deep playoff run.
That’s the bottom line in the NBA.
Sure, there have been a few exceptions here and there throughout the league’s history. But there’s way too much evidence supporting that notion to believe otherwise.
Michael Jordan’s offensive brilliance is probably what first comes to mind when thinking of the 90s Chicago Bulls. While, of course, that was a huge factor in their success, you could argue it was really their defensive excellence that catapulted them to greatness. In their first three-peat, they ranked higher in opponent scoring than they did in their own scoring. In all six of their championship runs, they were never ranked lower than sixth in opponent scoring.
All but two of the 26 NBA champions since the 1996-97 season ranked in the top 10 in defensive rating, and 17 of those teams were in the top five. Interestingly enough, the two champs during this time period who finished outside the top 10 in defensive rating – the 2000-01 Los Angeles Lakers and 2017-18 Warriors – were No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, in this category when they each won the title the prior seasons.
In case you’re wondering, the 2021-22 champion Warriors had the league’s second-best defensive rating. The team that ranked first was the Boston Celtics, the team they played in the NBA Finals.
Although the Orlando Magic are still in the early stages of their rebuild, now’s the time to develop the right defensive habits. On paper – just based on what many of their current players do best – the Magic should be a very good, if not great defensive team.
It all starts with the fact that they have a defensive-minded head coach in Jamahl Mosley, who’s known in the NBA community for his defensive principles. They might have the longest set of frontcourt players in the league with Mo Bamba, Bol Bol, Jonathan Isaac, Wendell Carter Jr., Paolo Banchero, Moe Wagner, and Franz Wagner all at least 6-foot-10 with tremendous wingspans.
The other thing many of their players do well is move their feet laterally on the perimeter. More than ever before, NBA teams need big men who can slide their feet and stay in front of opponents when they attack the paint. Carter and Franz Wagner, particularly, do this at a high level. Although there are many unanswered questions about his long-term defensive outlook, Banchero did this well in his two summer league games in Las Vegas in July.
You probably remember last season hearing a thing or two about “bell plays,” which are, in other words, hustle plays such as taking charges, diving on the floor for loose balls, and deflecting passes. The Magic did quite a bit of those throughout last season. They ranked 10th in charges drawn, for instance. After the All-Star break, they ranked seventh in defensive loose balls recovered.
Don’t underestimate the importance of those hustle plays, by the way. The Warriors and Celtics both ranked in the top 10 in last year’s regular season in loose balls recovered, while the Miami Heat, an eventual conference final playoff team, and Memphis Grizzlies, an eventual conference semifinal playoff team, both ranked in the top five.
A player to watch on the defensive end for the Magic this season is unquestionably Jalen Suggs, who some believe can make a Marcus Smart or Jrue Holiday kind of impact on that side of the floor by the time he reaches his prime.
While he struggled with his shooting as a rookie, his defense in year one was even better than advertised. He’s as locked in as ever on this end of the court.
“From when I started playing basketball, I’ve always taken pride in defense,” the 6-foot-5 guard said. “From being young and playing on the eight-foot hoops, when you couldn’t press, I’d be sitting right at half court, waiting for the moment they stepped across the line to steal the ball. That’s the kind of mindset I’ve always had – being a ball hawk, being able to shut the other (team’s) best players down. It’s not only helpful to the team, (but) that picks me up.”
By re-signing Bamba in the offseason, Orlando also should do well in the blocks department, which by the way will help a great cause (Read here). The 7-footer out of the University of Texas was tied for fifth in the NBA last season in total blocks with 118 of them.
Let’s remember, too, that even though there’s no timetable set for his return, Isaac was a Defensive Player of the Year candidate before the first of his two knee injuries during the 2019-20 season.
It seems fair to say that the Magic’s defense is further along than their offense. After last season’s All-Star break, Orlando ranked seventh in defensive rating, while their offensive rating was 29th.
Establishing a defensive identity that’s consistent and resolute should be this team’s biggest priority. If they do indeed ripen into one of the league’s best on that end, that alone will help them make the kind of gains they expect to make, even if it takes a little longer for their offense to grow.
“We have a chance to be special defensively,” Mosley said. “As the guys understand our terminology, as they understand positioning on the floor, as the game slows down for them – between our length, and our physicality, and our strength – I think we have a chance to be pretty darn good defensively.”